Chapter 94: The World with a Chance
Zara stepped back into the room, Leo trailing close behind her, clutching a towel too big for his tiny body. The scent of soap and warm water clung to their skin, a rare luxury in this new world. She paused just inside the doorway, eyes landing on Winter, who hadn’t moved an inch since she’d left.
He was still seated in the corner, his broad shoulders hunched and his long legs stretched out in front of him. One arm rested lazily on his knee, but his expression was distant, eyes fixed on his backpack like it held the answers to questions he couldn’t bring himself to ask.
"You’re still there?" Zara asked softly, nudging his foot.
Winter blinked and looked up, his dark eyes meeting hers.
"Where else would I be?" he muttered, though his usual sharp edge was missing.
Zara hesitated, then moved further into the room, guiding Leo to sit on the small cot in the corner. She crouched in front of the little boy, drying his damp hair with gentle hands. "You can’t sit in the corner all night, Winter. What’s on your mind?"
For a moment, he didn’t answer. His jaw tightened, and he glanced away, as if debating whether to share what was bothering him. Finally, he sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"I was hoping," he began, his voice low and measured, "that I’d find some people I knew here. Friends. Maybe family."
Zara’s hands stilled as she finished with Leo’s hair. She glanced back at Winter, her brow furrowing. "You think they might be here? At City H?"
He shrugged, his lips pressing into a thin line. "It’s possible. It’s a big place, like you said. But..." His voice trailed off, leaving the rest unspoken.
Zara stood, walking over to him. "But you’re afraid they might not have made it."